Plaster-can



(No M00 81.

J. W. ELLIOTT.-

'PLASTER CAN.

No. 340,564. Patentefilpr. 27, 1886.

WT'JlE 5 5 B 5 @MW g W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \V. ELLIOTT, OF BEVERLY,MASSACHUSETTS.

PLASTER-CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,564, dated April 27, 1886.

Application filed March 13, 18%.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaster-Cans; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in plaster-cans used by farmers and florists for the purpose of shaking dust, hellebore, paris green, or other powder on the plants to kill or drive away insects liable to injure or de stroy the buds, fruit, or foliage of such plants.

The invention is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, where Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved plaster-can. Fig. 2 represents a central longitudinal section of the same; and Fig. 3 represents a cross-section on the line A B, shown in Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

or represents the can or receptacle for the powder 1). (Shown in Fig. 2.) I

a represents the perforated bottom of the can, that is preferably made concave, as shown, to prevent its perforations a a from being clogged up by moisture from the earth if the can is placed on the ground. The perforated bottom a is firmly affixed to the lower end of the can a, and to such stationary perforated bottom a is pivoted, by means of the central rivet, 0, a perforated movable regulator disk, 0, having perforations c 0", corresponding in size and positions to the perforationsa in the stationary bot-tom a. By adjusting the position of the movable bottom or regulator disk 0 relative to the stationary bottom a, the powder-delivery can be regulated to a nicety. For instance, for coarse powder it may be desirable to adjust the position of diskc relative to the bottom a, so that the holes in both coincide. For finer powder the disk 0 may be so adjusted relative to the bottom a that the holes in the latter will be more orless covered by the solid portions of the disk 0, or may be closed altogether when the can is not in use.

It is very desirable that the disk 0 should Serial No. 1 921184. (No model.)

be held in its position relative to the bottom a after it is adjusted and while the can is in use; and for this purpose I provide the disk 0 on one side with an upwardly-projecting spring locking projection, 0 that is adapted to lock in any one of the notches or locking-recesses a a on the outside of thelower portion of the can a, as shown in the drawings. The said locking-recesses a may be made on the surface of the can or on a plate affixed to the can, as may be most practical.

The can a is open in its upper end,and there provided with a removable cover, d, which is removed whenever the can is to be filled with the powder and placed in position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,-when the device is in use.

At e e on the sides of the can is hinged the bail e, for the operator to hold and manipulate the can while in the act of powdering or dusting the plants.

It is very desirable that the cover (I should be prevented from getting detached from the top of the can when itis in use, and also that the bail shouldbe held firmly in an upright position while the can is in use; and for these purposes I provide the detachable cover 01 with a circular and upwardly-projecting extension, d,'as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I further secure to or near the upper ends of the ball 6 the springs e" e, the lower ends of which are free to move inward when the bail is held vertical, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,and in such position of the said springs they serve as locks to prevent the cover d from getting detached from the can, and they also serve to prevent the bail from swinging downward out of its upright position. The outer periphery of the projecting top d of the cover (1 serves as a stop to limit the inward motion of the lower ends of the springs c" e Vhen it is desired to removethe eoverd,all that is needed to do is to press the springs e 6 toward the uprights of the bail until their lower ends pass by the outer edge of the cover,

(2, when the bail can easily be swung downward to one side of the can. After the cover dis put in place the bail is swung upward, the springs e 6 being pressed outward until the ball is in an upright position, when the said springs areliberated and allowed to move inward to their normal locking positions. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.)

In using" the can it should be filled about one-half full with the desired powder. The operatorthen takes hold ofthe bail dand shakes the can up and down above the plant, causing the powder to be forced out through the perforations in the bottom a and regulatordisk 0, and continues the operation until the plant is properly sprinklednvhen he proceeds with another plant in a similar manner, and

so on.

Having thus fully described the nature,eonstruction, and operation of my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent and claim 1. In a plaster-can, the receptaclea, having the stationary perforated bottom a, the perforated regulator c, pivoted to it and provided with the locking projection 0, adapted to be locked into any one of the recesses a on the side of the can a, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The can a, having the removable cover d,with its upwardly-projecting circular extension d, in combination with the bail e, hinged to the sides of the can a,and provided with the locking-springs e e, for securing the cover d to the top 'of the can and for holding the bail e in an upright position While in use.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. ELLIOTT.

WVitnesses: ALBAN ANDREN, E. J. TORREY. 

